You know when you’re riding a bike through snow (of course you do), and you suddenly find yourself in an unexpected deep patch of that crusty stuff that refuses to release you? That’s when you’ll come to truly appreciate the benefits of a fat bike.

After spending several weeks this winter on several different fat bikes — including a great experience on a (Canadian!) Surface 604 equipped with a (Canadian!) electric pedal-assist motor — it’s easy to see why. Fat bikes are a blast to ride in winter, especially if you’re looking to tackle snow-filled trails. They blow through snow and minimize the risk of falling, which is the biggest concern about winter riding. So if your worries about slipping on snow and ice on your regular old bike are preventing you from acting on your desire to ride in winter, stop reading and go buy a fat bike. Right now.

Still here? OK, now I’ll tell you why I’m not quite ready to ride one on my commute. But I’m getting closer.

Fat bikes are winter confidence builders. Those big tires with low air pressure feel almost magically stable in snow, and, in most cases, on ice. Sure, they can slip, just like every other tire, but there is so much rubber grabbing the earth that the usual winter tentativeness vanishes. Studded fat-bike tires are also available, and if you can’t feel confident riding in winter with studded fat-bike tires, you’re doing something wrong.

One of the shortcomings I identified in early fat-bike models was their lethargy, but fat bikes have improved much since the first generation. Bikes that were once heavy and sluggish are now light and, well, almost quick. Those fat, squishy tires, however, can still sap some of your energy, especially on the uphills — it’s a sacrifice you make for stability. So when the fine folks at Power in Motion recently offered me a test ride of that electric Surface 604, I jumped at the opportunity.

I wrote about pedal assist in the summer, when I overcame my skepticism about the technology. This was the first time testing one in winter on a fat bike. I thought the little boost the motor gave me would overcome that inherent lethargy. Mission success: The pedal-assist motor, which lessens the burden of pedalling because the technology only kicks in when you are putting pressure on the pedals, such as when you are climbing a hill or pushing out of a pile of snow, made the winter a breeze (yes, this was back when there was still snow).

Blending fat tires and an electric motor opened up whole new experiences for winter. I found myself crossing fields of snow rather than taking the long way around, and crushing through the slush on the sides of roads rather than looking for alternative routes to avoid traffic. There is a lot to love about the bike.

For my commute, however, a pure fattie still feels like too much bike. I still put aside a few winter weekends a year for fat-bike adventures in the mountains, but much of my daily commute is on plowed pathways or frequently snow-free roads (thanks, El Nino). In such situations, I just can’t justify the extra work that goes into propelling a fat bike. Plus, I remain quite terrible at keeping my winter bikes clean, so the costs of a fat bike are discouraging knowing that I may be dooming my drivetrain to a season of rust.

That assessment, however, may be temporary. As more bike companies push fat-bike development, we’re seeing more varieties.

Several companies are offering slimmed-down fat-bike tires. Rather than the monster-truck tires you usually see, new models, such as the Norco Torrent 7, Surly Krampus, or the electric OHM XS750 Plus, offer less wide fat-bike tires (down to about three inches rather than four or five) which offers some of the stability of a fat bike on a model designed to move faster. I tried one out this winter too, and it felt much closer to the kind of commuter model that would work for me. This, I thought, might be the fat bike for my ride to work.

So for now, I’m sticking to my flow-chart to decide which bike to ride. But as fat-bike technology evolves, that may change sometime soon.

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.